The scariest real-life connection in AHS: 1984 is that a notorious '80s serial killer is a character on the show. While Mr. Jingles is committing the murders at camp, one character on the show has a run-in with the notorious Richard Ramirez aka the Night Stalker, who killed more than a dozen people back in the '80s.
In the first episode of the show, Emma Roberts' character, Brooke, is asleep at home when a man enters her bedroom. He tells her, "You're going to die by the hands of the Night Stalker." Zach Villa plays Richard Ramirez on the show, and his resemblance to the serial killer is uncanny.
Brooke manages to escape the grips of Ramirez when a neighbor hears the commotion coming out of her bedroom. Before leaving, Ramirez promises that his influence on Brooke is far from over. He threatens Brooke with Satan's wrath, which parallels the serial killer's real-life obsession with the devil.
Richard Ramirez killed 14 people in the San Francisco area between 1984 and 1985. During his reign of terror, Ramirez would break into homes in the middle of the night before raping and murdering his victims. While he was committing his crimes, Ramirez would make victims swear on Satan, which is similar to what his character did to Brooke on the show.
While Ramirez mainly targeted older women, one of his younger victims' life was spared when a "divine intervention" occurred. While attacking Whitney Bennett with an electrical cord, the killer said that sparks flew at the exact moment that she began breathing again. Ramirez took this as an act of God, and he felt that Bennett's life was meant to be spared.
This particular victim might be the exact inspiration for Emma Roberts' character in AHS: 1984.
The Night Stalker was caught after he repeatedly left his DNA and shoe prints at crime scenes.
Ramirez was originally sentenced to death, but his execution date was contested for decades. He eventually died in prison in 2013 after a cancer battle. Ramirez's legacy continues to haunt the San Francisco area to this day.
AHS: 1984 is not the first time Richard Ramirez has appeared on the series. In AHS: Hotel, Ramirez was a ghost on the show. Since this season takes place decades before Hotel did, Ramirez is an alive presence on the show.
Watch AHS: 1984 to catch more real-life '80s references. It airs on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX.
